I have always thought that orchids had no fragrance whatsoever, until recently. This past weekend, starved for color we decided to visit the yearly orchid show at Michigan State University. We found many like-minded people there and ran into several friends ‘oohing’ and ‘ahhing’ over these colorful beauties.
Coming from Singapore, a country that is a leading exporter of cut orchids, I have always felt a special kinship with these blooms. When I was growing up, they were sold in open markets and for a few dollars one could get a bountiful bunch to grace any room. Cultivating them however seems to require a certain knack.
So, before we left for the orchid show we resolved not to buy any plants. I had done this at various times before and would always walk out with several plants. Guess what – inevitably, the same thing happened this year. It’s hard to resist them. Keeping them alive will be a challenge because I have never had much success growing these buggers. I came close with a Cymbidium orchid plant that is somehow still alive. It almost bloomed for me this year. So, I have hope.
My new acquisitions are a Phalaenopsis Streetwise or moth orchid which has become a favorite in this country and the more unusual Zygopetalum Louisendorf with its chocolate and deep burgundy flowers ringed with light green along the petals. “This is easy to grow. It likes indirect light. Just water once a week,” said the vendor. What’s more – it had a slight scent. How could I resist?
Two days later, while I’m finely chopping spinach for my Saag Paneer dish for dinner that night, an intoxicating aroma from the Zygo which is perched on my kitchen counter wafted my way. I’ve noticed that the scent is stronger in the mornings than in the evenings. It’s an exciting concept to me that an orchid can have a scent. Is this achieved through cross hybridization? How come I never knew of this before?
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